WHAT IS A GUARDIAN HOME?

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The guardian program allows us to grow our program and continue to better our breeds, without sacrificing any of our dogs happiness and need for love and attention. While we want to keep all of our dogs with us, we understand that they will be happier with more one on one attention than we can give them.

As a guardian home, you are the permanent home for one of our breeding dogs while they are in our program. Once they are retired (and spayed/neutered at our expense), full ownership transfers to the guardian family and they get to keep the dog forever.

Becoming a Guardian Home gives you the opportunity to have one of our puppies or young adults as a family pet while he or she remains in our program at no upfront cost to you!

By offering the guardian program, we are able to ensure that our dogs get to live the best possible lives in a loving, caring home where they receive as much one on one attention as possible.

No, you will receive a top quality dog that has been hand selected by us to remain in our program at no upfront cost!

Guardians are responsible for all transportation to and from us. If you have a female, then you will also be responsible for taking her to the vet for an ultrasound if you are not able to bring her for us to take her.

Guardians are responsible for all “regular” dog care including providing food, treats, toys, etc. They are also responsible for normal vet care that is not breeding related. The dog must be kept UTD on all shots, flea and tick meds, and heartworm meds at guardians expense. Guardians are also required to pay for grooming unless they opt to do it themselves.

• Teach basic commands such as sit, stay, lay-down, “no”, quiet, and leave it as well as how to walk politely on a leash
• Must be willing and able to train using positive reinforcement only
• Potty train and crate train the dog by 9 months of age if they are not already
• Keep the dog as an indoor family pet and never allow them to live outside
• Keep the dog off of the ground where other dogs frequent (dog parks, pet stores, etc) and away from unknown dogs until the dog is fully vaccinated (around 16 weeks)
• Be willing and able to socialize the dog with other dogs as well as people
• Provide adequate exercise and mental stimulation
• Be able to bring the dog to and from the breeder within 24-36hr notice
• Must be able to communicate, cooperate, and coordinate with the breeder effectively
• Contact the breeder in the event of any serious illness or accident
• You may not be a guardian home for a different breeder (with the same breeds) while participating in our program
• Fenced in yard is required
  
• WHAT IS THE BREEDER RESPONSIBLE FOR?
  
  • Provide guardian family with a healthy dog at no cost
  • Pay for health testing
  • Pay for all breeding related expenses (ie progesterone testing, semen collection, etc)
  • Teaching the guardian family how to detect a heat cycle and how to care for a pregnant dog if they don’t already know
  • Pay for the spay/neuter upon retirement
  • Pay a monetary sum per litter
  • Provide lifetime support for the dog
  • Always be willing to take the dog back if the guardian family can no longer care for them

Initially, they may be slightly confused wondering, “Where’s my family going?”, but typically within 1-2 hours they are settled in. We try extremely hard to make sure that they are as comfortable as possible at their “home away from home” by giving them a lot of extra attention. It is also why we keep our guardian dogs in our home with us, as part of the family! We even allow them to sleep in bed with us if they choose to!

Please take into consideration that you may also play a role in how quickly your dog adjusts. The more relaxed she is, the less stressed out she will be. Humans can project emotions on their dogs, so, if you are crying or acting nervous when leaving your dog, then she will most likely be more stressed.

We do not require you to keep a specific groom or cut, but we do require that the dog’s coat is well maintained and does not get matted. This includes regular brushing and grooming.

While the dog is with us, we reserve the right to groom and bathe the dog to ensure cleanliness, especially after whelping.

Our dogs are ambassadors for our breeding program. They should be well maintained as we will likely be taking pictures of them while they’re with us. We also love to receive updated pictures from our guardian families that we can share.

Becoming a guardian home for one of our dogs is a huge commitment and a decision that should not be made lightly. Please keep in mind that we are retain full legal ownership of the dog until they are retired from our program and guardians have a legal obligation to follow the contract. Our dogs are very high quality and have been hand selected to benefit and improve our program further.

Becoming a guardian home is not for everyone! Please consider this commitment carefully.

We do not require a specific food to be fed, however, we do require it be rated at least 3.5 stars on Dog Food Advisor. It is also required that they are not fed a grain free food.

For treats, we do not have any specific requirements, but they should be high quality. For example, no “Ol Roy” or rawhide treats.

If your dog is deemed unsuitable for breeding by either us or one of our veterinarians, then the dog will be retired from our program. You will not be required to pay any fees, but you will be required to pay for spay/neuter at your expense. After that, full ownership will transfer over to you.

• You are getting a top quality dog at no up front cost
• The dog will be health tested at the breeder’s expense
• Families are allowed to visit their female and her puppies
• Monetary compensation for each litter
• The breeder pays for spay or neuter
• Guardians with females get to name the puppies in her litters
• Once retired and spayed/neutered, full rights and ownership are transferred to you
• Knowing your canine companion is blessing families all over the country
• We consider all of our puppy/dog owners family, but when you become a guardian you are truly part of our team

Interested in becoming a part of our guardian program but not 

sure if a male or female is a better fit for you? 

 Below are some of the frequently asked questions about being a guardian home to a female in our breeding program. 

GUARDIAN FEMALE INFO

As a guardian, you would be required to notify us immediately when she comes into heat, no matter the age. While we will not breed before 12 months old it does help give me an idea of when her next heat cycle is.

I typically like to go in for the first progesterone test around day 3 of being notified, in case she is further along in her cycle than expected, however, this may vary.

It is EXTREMELY important to keep her away from any unaltered males during her cycle and to keep a close eye on her when she is outside. This can be around a 2-3 week period.

This question depends greatly on both breeder and guardians schedules. As well as where the guardian is located. We typically do 2-4 progesterone tests depending on how quickly her levels are climbing.

If you are local to us and have a flexible schedule and are able to bring her to and from us, then she may not need to stay with us for her heat cycle, though she always can.

If you are further away or don’t have a flexible schedule, then she will need to stay with us (typically 5-7 days).

In most cases, we breed our females on their second heat cycle which is between 12-15 months. We will never breed a female under 12 months old. We do also take into consideration the dog and her maturity and may decide to wait until the next cycle.

The typical gestation period for a dog is 63 days (give or take up to 4 days).

In general, pregnancy is relatively easy!

In the beginning, you will likely only notice minor changes. She may seem more tired at first and eat less. It may be necessary to add in something more appealing such as chicken or a high quality canned food to make sure she’s getting enough nutrients. Some girls may also have morning sickness the first few weeks as well. During the first half, her normal activity and exercise may be continued.

During the second half she should not be allowed to engage in rigorous activity, though it is still good for her to get more leisure exercise such as going for walks. Her appetite should also increase and it is important to increase her food intake. We recommend mixing in wet food with dry food. However, she should not be given any foods that are rich in calcium (ie cottage cheese, yogurt, etc).

While your dog is pregnant, she should not receive any vaccines, medications that are not approved by us, heartworm meds, or flea and tick meds. She may however wear a Seresto brand flea and tick collar.

We require our momma’s to come back 5-7 days prior to her expected whelping date. This gives her time to adjust being back in our home with us and also allows us to start monitoring her temperature so we have a better idea of when she may go into labor.

Once the puppies are born, she will need to stay with us about 6 weeks depending on how the weaning process is going. Puppies will stay the full 8 weeks, but we do have several dogs that are great in helping the puppies socialize so that mommas can return to their families.

After the first 5-7 days, we do allow families to come visit up to once a week, if they would like. However, if we feel that it is confusing her or making it harder on her, then we may ask that you limit visits to every other week. 

We stay very busy with our puppies and adult dogs and may not be available at certain times. Please be sure to schedule any visits ahead of time to make sure that we’re available!

Our females can have up to 4 litters per our contract. However, we do access each individual female and decide based on them. If they have difficulty delivering, have complications, aren’t a good mom (ie no interest in puppies), or if our vet recommends that they should not have any more litters; 

then we will retire them from our program.

Our dogs health is always top priority over them whelping and raising puppies.

MALE GUARDIAN INFO

Males can start breeding anywhere from 7-8 months+. We will access each male individually with our vet. This typically consists of us taking them in for a semen collection.

This is a tricky question and can vary greatly depending on our planned pairings and the fact that we do offer stud service to outside breeders. Males may be needed one time a year or they may be needed several times. This is another reason that we prefer our males live in close proximity to us. So that they are away from their family for as short of time as possible.

Males will usually stay with us 5-7 days when breeding naturally so they they can “honeymoon” every other day. This typically is only required when the male lives further away.

In general, we prefer that males stay within 45 minutes of us. That way he does not have to stay for several days in a row but rather, can come every other day (at least twice if breeding natural) or only once if we are AI’ing.

If semen is being shipped to another breeder and the guardian has a reproductive vet in close proximity, then the guardian can opt for taking him in rather than bringing him to us and having to pick him up after.

Males stay in our program up until 6 years after they go to their guardian home. However, we may retire some males early based on our discretion or our reproductive vet’s.

We retain all breeding rights. This means that he may not be mated with any unapproved females even if it is an “accident”. Males should never be allowed around any unapproved females in heat.

For males, the timeframe that they’re gone is much shorter. Females will be generally be with us about a week during the breeding cycle, then again for about 7 weeks when they have puppies. This may happen up to two times a year.

As mentioned above, if you already know that you may be moving within the next few years, then the guardian program may not be the right fit for you.

One thing that separates us from many breeders is that we try our best to treat our 

guardian dogs as part of the family. This means that they will live in our home while they’re with us. 

While we do move our litters to our puppy area around 3 weeks to start the 

weaning process, they are always invited into our home.

To be able to do this, all dogs must have obedience training. At a minimum they should know how to sit, stay, lay-down, “no”, quiet, and leave it. Along with other basic manners (ie no jumping up, proper door etiquette (not bolting out), no counter surfing, etc).

They must also be housebroke and crate trained.